Abstract
After nearly 20 years of ‘reformist’ measures, the police in Mexico continues to be an ineffective, unreliable, and ‘far from citizen’ institution. The efforts made so far have faded amongst political interests and agendas; multidimensional frameworks out-dated at both conceptual and interagency levels; short-sighted competition for resources; evaluation and performance monitors that are handicapped by bureaucratic inaction; and weak transparency and accountability that perpetuate the opacity in which the police operate. In this context, the agenda of external police oversight is still at a rudimentary stage. However, there are several initiatives that have managed to push the issue to the frontier of new knowledge and promising practices. This paper outlines the experiences and challenges of—as well as the lessons learned by—the Institute for Security and Democracy (Insyde) A.C., one of the most recognised think tanks in Mexico.
Highlights
‘If we want everything to stay as it is, everything must change
The police display a disrespect regarding human rights and an ambivalence towards citizens. The recognition of this association between police institutions and organised crime was one of the chief political determinants that led to the inclusion of the Mexican Armed Forces (FAM) in public security tasks between 2006 and 2012
Efforts to reform the police and justice systems during this period have been hindered by political interests and agendas; the absence of multidimensional frameworks aligned from a conceptual viewpoint and committed to interagency cooperation; the struggle between municipal, state, and federal institutions for resources; performance and evaluation mechanisms disrupted by bureaucratic inaction; and a lack of transparency and accountability
Summary
‘If we want everything to stay as it is, everything must change. what will happen? Bah! Stitched talks of safe shooting, and all will be the same everything has changed.’ -Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. Efforts to reform the police and justice systems during this period have been hindered by political interests and agendas; the absence of multidimensional frameworks aligned from a conceptual viewpoint and committed to interagency cooperation; the struggle between municipal, state, and federal institutions for resources; performance and evaluation mechanisms disrupted by bureaucratic inaction; and a lack of transparency and accountability.
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